Drinking from the Trough

A Veterinarian's Memoir

By: Mary E. Carlson DVM

Narrated by: Sara Morsey

Mary Carlson didn't plan to become a veterinarian, let alone the caretaker of many cats, two huskies, and horses (some with manners, some without). A suburban Chicago girl, she only knew about the American West from her uncle's stories. But thanks to him, she moved to Colorado for college - and after falling in love with a veterinary student, settled there for good.

Her husband's work inspired her to leave teaching, become a vet herself, and open a feline-exclusive clinic. Along the way, there were grueling years of vet school, a shattered hip, an enduring love, illness, and death - and the rediscovery that life, especially one filled with delightful animals, is worth living.

©2018 Mary Carlson DVM (P)2018 Mary Carlson DVM

Must read for pet lovers

Last week I received a request to review the recently released Drinking from the Trough, A Veterinarian's Memoir by Mary E. Carlson and after reading more about the author I gladly decided to give it a try. As you might have gathered from my articles, I don't usually consume non-fiction or memoirs, but this one was too interesting and close to home to pass out.

I am a very big fan of animals and pets in general and I can tell you that I had at one time four dogs, three cats, two rabbits and a significant number of chickens, all at my house in the mountains of Romania. Besides, my entire life I owned at least one dog as a pet, at one time or another, and right now I am glancing at my cat which sleeps like the dead on the couch, with his feet sticking up the air and his tongue slipping outside, don't worry, he is very alive.

As the old saying goes, man plans and God laughs, my plans for a quiet life in the country have changed and I moved back to Bucharest three years ago and the dogs decided to stay with my mom, and I can't blame them as there is the good life, with a yard, a river and a forest around the house... Me and Alina, my girlfriend, picked up this current sloth of a cat that sleeps all day and attaches like Velcro to us all over the house and while I listened to this audiobook, I had more than a few flashbacks to all the pets I known in my 36 years. Some of them were mine and other came into my life through friends and acquaintances, but I remember each and everyone of them, as animals are God's gift to people, and without them life would be a very sad, lonely and uninteresting experience.

Drinking from the Trough by Mary E. Carlson connected with me in a way very few audiobooks do as I enjoyed her writing style tremendously. This is a beautiful true story that makes you think about those friends that are always with you, never capable of disappointing or hurting you in any way, while offering unrestricted and unconditioned love every single second of their too short lives.

The author has a clear gift for writing, painting every scene with vivid details, infusing the story with life, love and humanity. We see her learning to communicate with owners of sick pets, we root for her as she struggles with recovery after an accident, we learn many interesting things about dogs, cats and horses.

As I said above, the book is beautifully written, with humor, fun facts, but, at the same time is filled with drama and loss... This is part of a very special person's life and I am glad that Dr. Carlson decided to put pen to paper and share her experiences with us. I especially love that every chapter has its own name and that the narrator is perfect for this story.

The audiobook version of Drinking from the Trough, A Veterinarian's Memoir is brought to life with talent and passion by  Sara Morsey. From the first minutes I was immersed into the author's world thanks to the natural performance, as I imagined a proper lady in the Autumn of her life telling me her story, delighting me at every step with funny musings and making me visualize everything in my mind's eye like it was happening right now and there.

This is a book for lovers of pets, for those who know what it means to have a best friend that never disappoints or lets you down. I strongly recommend Drinking from the Trough by Mary E. Carlson and performed by Sara Morsey to all those who loved a dog, a cat or even a bird at some point in their lives...

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Thank you,
Victor

Too boring

This is not a book of animal stories or of a Vet. I listened for maybe 5 chapters and gave it up.Waste of money.